Stopper for a container

ABSTRACT

A stopper for a container with a lid with a peripheral wall engaging around the neck of the container and with an olive seal provided with an outer, peripheral annular bead for jamming engagement in the container opening includes an inner surface of the olive seal having a ribbed wall surface, which is defined by a plurality of grooves and webs extending in the longitudinal direction on the wall of the olive seal.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The subject application claims convention priority to German patent application No. 10 2020 130 886.3 filed Nov. 23, 2020.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a stopper for a container with a lid, the edge of which is connected to a peripheral wall engaging around the neck of the container and with an annular seal, preferably an olive seal provided with an outer, peripheral annular bead for jamming engagement in the container opening. On the lower edge of the peripheral wall a peripheral security ring, which may be torn off, for tamper-evident security of the container contents with inwardly directed locking projections can be integrally formed, which, in the fastened position of the stopper, engage below an outwardly directed annular projection on the container.

BACKGROUND

Containers having lids often have an annular seal. The purpose of the annular seal, such as an olive seal, is to tightly seal the contents of the container, for which reason the dimensions are such that the olive seal is a force fit in the container neck. However, this force fit makes it difficult to withdraw the stopper from the container or to lever it off in an oblique position, which can be a problem if, as a result of unavoidable manufacturing tolerances in the stopper and/or the container, the olive seal sticks in the container neck in such a tight force fit that a considerable force is necessary in order to remove the peripheral wall integrally formed on the lid and the olive seal from the container neck. This can become an insoluble problem for people whose hands have little power.

The olive ring seals of the previously known stoppers have a smooth, closed inner wall surface, which imparts a considerable stiffness to the olive seal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a stopper for a container, which can be removed or levered off from the associated container with a lower force and which nevertheless ensures that the contents of the container are reliably sealed.

This object is solved in accordance with the invention by the features of claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterised in the dependent claims.

The invention provides that the annular seal, preferably the olive seal, affords a ribbed wall surface on its inner side, which is defined by a plurality of grooves in the wall of the olive seal extending in the longitudinal direction of the stopper. The result of this construction is that when obliquely levering the stopper away from the container neck the olive seal is compressed at the side where the force is applied, whereby the breadth of the grooves decreases with the consequence that the jamming force of the olive seal is reduced and the stopper can be laterally levered away from the container more easily. It transpires surprisingly that the ribbed wall surface affects the contact pressure in the closed position of the stopper in the container less strongly so that the olive seal can ensure the liquid tightness of the contents of the container with its smooth outer surface. The lateral levering away of the olive seal for removing the stopper from the container is thus made considerably easier, whereby the contents of the container remain tightly sealed until then.

As further details of the invention, it is proposed that the grooves have a constant shape and depth in the longitudinal direction. It is, however, also possible that the breadth and/or depth of the grooves varies in the longitudinal direction, for instance increases towards the edge of the olive seal, in order further to facilitate the removal of the stopper.

The grooves should have a depth of 10% to 50% of the minimum wall thickness of the olive seal.

As regards the webs remaining between the grooves on the inner surface of the olive seal, a domed shape in cross-section is preferred.

The annular seal, preferably olive seal, which is ribbed in accordance with the invention can be a part of a stopper, whose lid has a continuous circular shape, whereby the olive seal is integrally formed on the lid radially inside the peripheral wall, as is the case in the conventional stoppers. The olive seal in accordance with the invention can, however, also be a component of a stopper, in which the lid includes a circular, concentric recessed channel, which includes a radially outer annular wall and a radially inner annular wall, which are connected by a base wall, whereby the radially outer wall is formed as the olive seal, which affords the ribbed wall surface on its radially inner side. In both embodiments of the stopper, the ribbed, inner wall surface of the olive seal has the consequence that the force necessary for obliquely levering the stopper away is reduced whilst a sufficiently high contact pressure is ensured when the stopper is seated in the container neck, despite the ribbing.

The annular seal can also have a barrel shape.

As further details of the invention, it is proposed that integrally formed on the lower edge of the peripheral wall of the stopper there is a peripheral security ring, which may be torn off, for the tamper-evident security of the contents of the container with inwardly directed locking formations, which engage beneath an outwardly directed annular projection on the container. This tamper-evident ring ensures that the contents of the container cannot be manipulated in an unauthorised manner. When a user wishes to remove the stopper from the container for the first time, he must firstly tear away the tamper-evident ring from the lower edge of the peripheral wall engaging around the container, whereafter he can lever the stopper away from the container neck.

The stopper preferably consists of LDPE, though the invention is not limited to this.

Further details will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment. The figures show as follows:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a lid with an integrally formed, conventional olive seal; and

FIG. 2 a sectional view of a lid of a stopper with an olive seal in accordance with the invention.

The remaining features of the stopper are omitted from the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an olive seal with a smooth outer surface 1 with an outer, peripheral annular bead 2 and a smooth, cylindrical inner wall surface 3.

In FIG. 2, the inner wall surface 4 of the olive seal 7 in accordance with the invention is of ribbed construction in that a plurality of grooves 5 extending in the longitudinal direction of the stopper are formed in the wall. The webs 6 remaining between the grooves have a domed cross-sectional shape. 

1. A stopper for a container with a lid with a peripheral wall engaging around the neck of the container and with an olive seal provided with an outer, peripheral annular bead for gripping engagement in the container opening, the stopper comprising an inner surface of the olive seal having a ribbed wall surface, which is defined by a plurality of grooves and webs extending in the longitudinal direction on the wall of the olive seal.
 2. A stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grooves have a shape and depth which is constant in the longitudinal direction.
 3. A stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grooves have a depth of 10% to 50% of the minimum wall thickness of the olive seal.
 4. A stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the webs between the grooves have a domed cross-sectional shape.
 5. A stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lid has a continuous circular shape and that the olive seal is integrally formed on the lid.
 6. A stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein formed in the lid there is a circular, concentric recessed channel, which includes a radially outer annular wall and a radially inner annular wall, which are connected by a base wall and that the radially outer annular wall is formed as the olive seal.
 7. A stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein integrally formed on the lower edge of the peripheral wall there is a peripheral security ring, which may be torn off, for tamper-evident security of the contents of the container with inwardly directed locking formations, which, in the fastened position of the stopper, engage below an outwardly directed annular projection on the container.
 8. A stopper as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stopper consists of LDPE. 